http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUH4GQkFGSs&

Although I know a lot of my fellow Holmes fan friends are horrified by the flashy, OOC vision for the movie, I for one had heart palpitations and a *teeny* bit of orgasm.

I... can't... wait.

The local NPR radio channel has now had two stories on how recycling breaks up couples by causing marital strife. But when they have the shows, all the people who call in downplay this and say, yeah, they may disagree, but its not like they're getting divorced or anything.

Which leads me to suspect that some bitter, angry radio exec and his wife are having a terrible falling out over whether or not cottage cheese containers are recyclable.

And he's blowing it all out of proportion, like this is destroying households everywhere.

So, in a similar vein, I'd like to offer my services to all those other couples out there, the thousands of you, who must, like me, struggle with that part of the relationship that cannot resolve whether Edgar Allan Poe was a master of prose, or a master of plot.

But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.

PRESIDENT OBAMA! HOORAY! I'M SO EXCITED!

I love my pony!

Okay, she's not technically *my* pony. I'm leasing her. Her name is Cynder. She's a gorgeous grulla breeding stock paint. She is tiny. She is fuzzy and gray. And she has totally stolen my heart.

Cynder spend the last 10 of her 13 years giving trail rides to children. This means she is absolutely spook-proof, nothing startles her, but she has zero actual training. She didn't know how to back up, or really how to canter. She knew walk, mega-trot, and gallop.

But now I've ridden her about 10 times and she is ALREADY AMAZING. She is such a fast learner. Within ten rides, she's learned how to back up, half-halt, how to canter when I ask, how to canter when I WHISPER, how to organize a trot, how to slow down and speed up a trot, even how to go round a bit. She is incredible.

It's kind of sad actually - in one month she's improved more than I have as a rider in five years.

Jeez I haven't posted here in ages. Mostly cuz I'm off playing with my other blog, the one where I'm blarging and blooping about my novels all the live-long day.

But I just had to go *WHEEEE* and *BLOOOEEEE* because I'm lovin this Speed Racer flick. The colors! The action! You know, it almost... not totally, but ALMOST... makes me think car racing is cool.

EDIT: WTF? Why did LJ tag my couch as some place in Florida on a map??? Must be a town called Couch. But it's weird. I believe Google so much, that for a second, I thought maybe I *WAS* there....

YUM!







More delicious pics from fifties' cookbooks, along with great imagery, can be found here:
http://www.plan59.com/av/av115.htm

Yuva (2004)

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Esha Deol

Summary: Gangster meets student activist meets carefree party boy and lives… change?

Hot Leading Men: 3 stars (All are hot, but a little too gritty looking for more stars)
Music: 3 stars (like the soundtrack a lot)
Choreography: 0 stars (no real dancing)
Plot Bearability: 3 stars (actual plot)

Bonus Points:
- No one blinded: Extra star
- Actually cute love story: Extra star
- Use of special effects not horrid: Extra star

Negative points:
- Nearly three hours: minus one star
- Unnecessarily long fight scenes: minus one star
- Beaten woman who loves husband: minus one star

TOTAL: 9 STARS

( Read the review )

Okay, I just spent MY ENTIRE WEEKEND reading three years of comic strips over at the abe-kroenen livejournal which you can read here: abe_kroenen

It is not only hilarious, beautifully artistic, clever, and well-written, but the slashy love story between the undead nazi Kroenen and the fish-man Abe Sapiens from Hellboy is actually quite touching. I laughed out loud on several occasions and find myself rooting for their impossible love. So when you have a weekend to spare, check it out!

(And thanks spacefall for your post about it.)

Stolen from spacefall

The amazing Masturbation Metaphor Generator!

Okay, two things to tell you all in this post:

1. Want a book to read this summer? Enter the drawing at Blind Eye Books and you might win one for free! They are giving away copies of their gay science-fiction/fantasy anthology, TANGLE, all throughout July. More details are at: More details are at the Blind Eye Books blog at: http://kimnik.livejournal.com/22902.html Note this collections includes two short stories from myself.

2. Support my Porn-for-Ponies Campaign! My new novel, Intimate Traitors, is now for sale. Please buy it and take me a few cents closer to buying my own pony to ride! :)

So ever since my amazing horse Angus died back in March I have been whoring myself on other horses, riding whoever will let me. I spent two months riding a grumpy lil' pinto who is actually sweet but who has terrible anxiety caused by the fact that his owner is mean to him. After deciding i just can't support her riding abuse anymore, I'm looking for a new equine buddy.

Yesterday I rode this 24 year old 17 hand thoroughbred who hasn't been ridden in a year and is so stiff it was like trying to steer a barge.

And next week I'm going to ride a previously-insane but supposedly totally-reformed warmblood mare whose owner wants me to have her.

And it is all depressing. Because I *love* riding and I *love* having a relationship with a horse, and now I'm basically single. And even if this crazy mare and I get along, its not like I can keep her because of the cost.

So as I was driving home from the barn the other day, I whined. "waaah! I want a pony! Waah! And I can't have one!"

And then I saw this old man, shriveled, by the gas station, begging. And I realized that I'm being ridiculous. Other people are foreclosing on their houses, struggling to feed their kids. And I'm depressed because I can't afford a pony.

Sometimes? It's hard to grow up. But you have to. So I put things into perspective. And decided that riding a stiff, left-leaning barge is still an amazing opportunity. You just have to put the right spin on it.

Since I have been bad at posting, and since I lack proper inspiration for anything clever, I've decided to do this lil' meme that two of my friends had on their journals.

1. One Movie that Made you Laugh: Young Frankenstein. (Still best comedy ever)

2. One Movie that Made you cry: Joy Luck Club. (I am waiting like a tiger in the trees, now ready to leap out and cut her spirit loose. Waaah!)

3. One Movie that you loved when you were a child: Raiders of the Lost Ark. (duh)

4. One Movie that you've seen more than once: Star Wars (yes I can quote the entire movie)

5. One Movie you loved but were embarrassed to admit it: Titanic (I'm a sucker for drowning movies)

6. One Movie that you hated: Battleship Earth (still the worst movie I ever saw, and I've seen a lot of bad movies)

7. One Movie that Scared You: The Ring. (Jesus Christ.)

8. One Movie that bored you: The Seventh Seal (Yeah, yeah, you're death, yeah)

9. One Movie that everyone loves but you don’t see why: Sideways (assholes drinking wine)

10. One Movie that made you miserable: Dancer in the Dark (If I cry anymore I'll be blind too)

11. One Movie that you weren't brave enough to see: The Last Temptation (because nothing scares me more than blood-infused Christian flicks)

12. One Movie character that you've fallen in love with: Ah Jong (Chow Yun Fat in The Killer)

13. The Last Movie you saw: Ironman

14. The Next Movie you hope to see: The Happening

15. Your Favorite Movie: Either Fargo or Singin' in the Rain

Ta-da!

Hello!
For those of you on my flist who don't know, my name is Astrid Amara. I've finally decided to start a separate Livejournal that will be used solely for information about my upcoming novels, recommendations, and other writing-related endeavors.

If you want to friend astridamara, then cool! If not, don't worry - I won't take it personally. :)

I plan to post excerpts of my upcoming two novels, one coming out this summer through Loose Id publications, and The Archer's Heart which is being published by Blind Eye Books.

Hurray!

My friend (and editor) put up this post with a hilarious youtube clip from hot boy Bollywood action. Plus a plug for my upcoming book! Hurray!

http://kimnik.livejournal.com/19438.html

My horse Angus died today. :(

He was classy, talented, sweet, and occasionally a butthole. He taught me everything I know about riding with patience and encouragement, and was one of my best friends. And look how handsome he was! This was taken just yesterday.

Woo!
I´m in Costa Rica!
Yesterday, saw lava rocks spew from Arenal Volcano. And howler monkey babies! And orchids! And bromeliads! And leaf cutter ants! Toucans, montezuma oropendula, and green parrot couples.
Ticos are the nicest people EVER.
And our housekeeper folded my clean towels into the shape of an elephant. I have no idea how she did this, but I must learn.
Now on our way to Jaco on the coast. Hurray! Will comment on stories and other posts when I return.

Iqbal (2006)

Starring: Shreyas Talpade, Naseeruddin Shah

Summary: Your typical feel-good sports movie of underdog triumphing against evil. With cricket. And deafness.

Hot Leading Men: 0 stars (not really that kind of movie)
Music: 1 star (no musical numbers, songs with harmonica/guitars)
Choreography: 0 stars (no dancing)
Plot Bearability: 5 stars (actual plot!)

Bonus Points:
- Tears of joy!: Extra star
- Deaf guy!: Extra star
- Non-evil father!: Extra star
- No one blinded: Extra star

Negative points:
- Nearly three hours: minus one star

TOTAL: 9 STARS

This movie is like a three hour Mentos commercial.

I wanted a feel-good sports movie about a deaf villager who fights adversity in the form of poverty, corruption, stigma, and his own family’s crushed hopes in order to become an Indian cricket champion. And, damn it all, THAT’S what I got.

Cliché? Yes. Predictable? Yes. But cute? Inspiring? Funny? Yes to all.

It could have been 2 hours instead of three. But since it’s a cricket movie, I suppose it has to be long, just to remind you of the endless drudgery of real cricket. And unlike Lagaan, which is another Indian cricket movie, which has pretty much an ENTIRE half of the movie dedicated to the game, this does a better job for those of us who actually have zero interest in cricket.

Beautiful imagery, good acting, and a nice bad guy father who isn’t a bad guy, just a practical guy who loves his deaf son.

“I love my dead deaf son!” (you either get the reference or you don’t).

Anyway, good cheer all around.

Just be warned: don’t rent from the Seattle Netflix. I’m sure they only have one copy, and it skips every touching scene. Seriously. Just as they are about to hug/cry/hit something, the picture freezes just long enough for your tears to dry up, and then it continues on like everything’s normal. Maybe it’s the special no-emotion edition.

Tangle, an anthology of gay fantasy/sci-fi short stories, is now available!

For those who like my writing, I encourage you to get yourself a copy. I have two short stories in the collection, including one, "Remember," which is set in Victorian times and even has a whole paragraph filched from my Sherlock Holmes/Dr Watson story "Revelations." And yes, there's sex!

So check it out! Buy a copy! They send internationally! Oh, and by the way, the stories are published under my name, Astrid Amara.

(Tangle is also available through Amazon.com but there's a shipping delay so it may take longer - besides, the publishers make more if you buy it directly from their site).

Woo-hoo!

http://www.blindeyebooks.com/tangle.html

Here's the weather report for this week here:
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/forecast/MapClick.php?site=SEW&llon=-122.838747&rlon=-121.993747&tlat=48.887084&blat=48.042084&smap=1&mp=0&map.x=120&map.y=39

Ugh!
And I am going to be outside for 6 hours every day for work!

Ugh!
And no one is writing any dirty prOn anymore!

Ugh!

*dreaming of staying in bed all week*